The Crown: Eton College 'bans' Netflix from filming on site and wants 'nothing to do' with streaming giant

The Crown: Eton College 'bans' Netflix from filming on site and wants 'nothing to do' with streaming giant
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George McMillan

By George McMillan


Published: 14/12/2021

- 08:28

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:15

The streaming platform was accused of sharing a 'sinister' tweet, promoting a documentary about the breakdown in Prince Charles and Princess Diana's relationship.

Eton College has reportedly banned Netflix from filming their multi-award-winning series The Crown on their grounds.

The prestigious college played host to both Prince William and Harry during their childhood.


The streaming platform was accused of sharing a 'sinister' tweet to their followers, promoting a documentary about the breakdown in Princess Diana and Prince Charles' relationship.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source said: "Eton didn't want anything to do with The Crown.

"It is very much aware of the criticism of the series"

A spokesperson from Netflix denied there was a request to film at the school in Windsor, but said: "We have, however, been filming at Winchester College."

Earl Spencer also rejected The Crown’s request to film at his family home of Althorp.

The forthcoming fifth series of the royal Netflix drama stars Elizabeth Debicki as his late sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, and will reportedly dramatise her headline-making 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir as well as other key events in her later life.

Earlier this year, a report by Lord Dyson concluded the BBC covered up “deceitful behaviour” used by Bashir to secure the bombshell interview and led to a call from the Duke of Cambridge for it never to be aired again.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast at his family estate in West Northamptonshire, Earl Spencer said he had declined when producers of The Crown asked to film on the site.

He said: “They applied. They wanted to shoot here. But I don’t really do that stuff.

“Actually, to be honest, I don’t watch The Crown so I just said: ‘Thank you but no thank you.’”

In May, Lord Dyson’s report into Diana’s Panorama interview concluded Bashir was in “serious breach” of the BBC’s producer guidelines when he faked bank statements and showed them to Earl Spencer to gain access to the princess for the interview.

Earl Spencer said there remains “a long way to go” with the investigation into the events surrounding the programme and did not rule out legal action.

He said: “Lord Dyson did a very good job. His brief was tiny. It was to look at a very specific area and there is still so much more to look at in the broader terms of who was responsible for what.

“How did it come to this? Did documents get hidden from view? All sorts of really important stuff which is yet to come out.

“So I see the Lord Dyson report as a very welcome development but there is still a long way to go with this.”

He said it is clear to him “there are certain people who were in the BBC who have behaved in a way that is truly abysmal and possibly criminal”.

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